Filipinos wait for the decision as they watch a live satellite feed of the welterweight title fight
Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao believes he beat Floyd Mayweather, and there aren’t many Filipinos who would disagree.
People in the Philippines flocked to stadiums and cinemas nationwide to watch the bout live shortly before noon local time yesterday and went home disappointed after the result was announced in favor of Mayweather. Even the chief of the Philippine armed forces thought the Filipino boxing icon won.
“Manny was more aggressive, he was hitting Floyd,” General Gregorio Pio Catapang told reporters in Manila. “He made us all proud, he gave his best. Unfortunately, his opponent kept on running and going around in circles.”
Sixty-one-year-old Abner Bendecion brought his own foldable seat to a basketball court in Las Pinas City, south of the capital Manila, about four hours before the fight started to score a good spot, and stayed on to watch the replay because he couldn’t believe that Mayweather’s running defense defeated Pacquiao. Tricycle-driver Fred Setias, 63, said he was happy Pac-Man wasn’t knocked out.
“We will continue to be proud that we have a people’s champ in Manny Pacquiao who exemplifies skill, strength and courage,” President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman Sonny Coloma said. “He is a worthy exemplar that the Filipino is able to compete in the global arena for as long as there is a level playing field.”
Pacquiao, 36, grew up in poverty in General Santos City, the main town of South Cotabato province, and used to fight for a purse of 150 pesos (USD3.37), the cost of a tall Macchiato at Starbucks Corp. He has capitalized on his status as a national hero by launching a political career, currently holding a seat in Congress.
Filipinos reserve Sunday mornings for Pacquiao whenever he fights, with roads, shopping malls and churches almost empty, and the crime rate dropping. Sixty-nine percent of adult Filipinos closely followed the news about the richest bout in history. Ditas Lopez and Clarissa Batino, Bloomberg
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